Jamal Crawford scored 28 points off the bench, and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Utah Jazz 108-95 on Saturday to clinch a playoff berth for the sixth straight year.
The Clippers trail the Jazz by a half-game in their race for the No. 4 playoff seed in the West.
Blake Griffin added 15 points and DeAndre Jordan had 15 rebounds for the Clippers.
Rudy Gobert had 26 points and 14 rebounds for Utah, and reserve Joe Johnson added 17 points. The Jazz have dropped four of five.
Utah rallied in the third, putting together a 20-6 spurt to trim Los Angeles' lead to 72-70 heading into the final period. Gobert had nine points and Johnson scored seven during the run that included 10 straight points for the Jazz over one stretch.
Chris Paul and Crawford both got technicals while the Clippers struggled to score and defend.
But Los Angeles turned things around in the fourth, scoring the first eight points for an 80-70 lead. Crawford had 17 points in the quarter, scoring six in a row to push the Clippers' lead to 103-84. He was 9 of 9 at the free-throw line for the game.
Sports
Get today's sports news out of Los Angeles. Here's the latest on the Dodgers, Lakers, Angels, Kings, Galaxy, LAFC, USC, UCLA and more LA teams.
Death, taxes, & @JCrossover beating the ������ pic.twitter.com/tVk5crrEhA — LA Clippers (@LAClippers) March 25, 2017
The Clippers grabbed control early on, shooting 52 percent in the first quarter while building a 15-point lead.
The Jazz got within seven to start the second before the Clippers restored their 15-point margin and eventually led 49-41 at halftime.
Utah's top two scorers, Gordon Hayward and George Hill, struggled. Hayward, who averages 22 points, had 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting. Hill, who averages 17.1, had nine points while shooting 4 of 11.
TIP-INS
Jazz: Gobert was coming off a career-high 35-point, 15-rebound performance against the Knicks on Tuesday. ... G Sheldon Mack missed his 11th straight game with a left ankle sprain. ... F/C Derrick Favors remains out with a left knee bone contusion.
Clippers: Their six-year playoff run is the longest in franchise history. ... They have won 18 of 20 against the Jazz dating to Feb. 1, 2012. ... They won the season series 3-1.
UP NEXT
Jazz: Host New Orleans on Monday.
Clippers: Host Sacramento on Sunday in their next-to-last back-to-back of the regular season.
